The Online Literary Journal of the Bronx Writers Center

the Bronx is a hot bitch
fused like Miles’ bewitching brew:
original, innovative, eclectic.
she’s the birthplace of mic check one two, one two
where the Zulu Nation still reigns supreme
and where heavenly seasoned sofrito hips sway to the rhythms of Willie Colón,
sweet J-Lo and Fat Joe.
she’s the world stage for stylin’ n’ profilin’ papi chulos, fly girlz, and b-boyz struttin’ their stuff.
a blank canvas conjuring pieces for graff-artists slingin’ cannons and droppin’ tags dreamin’ of kinghood.

ghetto fabulous
she’s busting her way through,
busting her way out
from all who would foolishly try to confine her.
she can’t be contained!
my girl is on some mythical tip
like a Phoenix embalming itself to rise from its own ashes.
no need to shed a tear.
she’s reborn, bodacious, stronger, and shynin’ like a dyme.
yeah, she’s invincible.
yo cuz, i’m just keepin’ it real.
ain’t nobody badder, nobody!

she don’t sizzle she burns
as i ride her iron carriage to and fro
on days when my breakfast of sunny-side up
is served curbside to go.

she’s bareback young bloods pounding asphalt pavements for pick-up games,
and abuelos playing dominoes under tree-shaded yards on a Sunday afternoon.
she’s a stretch of sandy beach known as the Bronx Rivera caressing the Long Island Sound,
a botanical garden of blooming lotus and water lilies fragrancing the air with the delicate floral symphony of their hearts,
and she’s sure enough a one woman Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey tamer of the wild called the Bronx Zoo.

i love her mad-crazy
and she’s loves me back
like a good woman should.
the one and only “Boogie Down”
droppin’ it like it’s hot.
there’ll never be another one like her, never!

she’s my boo, my heart, and she’ll always be … my home.

Bernice McWilliams is an author, cultural critic, web publisher and former photojournalist at Newsweek magazine. Her recently released debut novel A Quiet Storm can be previewed at www.bernicemcwilliams.com and purchased at Kindle.com or Mobipocket.com. A graduate of Syracuse University, she resides in New York.